Consequence of Faith – Scene 1 – the king’s bedroom

Bible Passage:  Esther 6

This is one of the Bible’s most “comic” scenes.  One can almost fall about laughing when one imagines the whole scenario.

While Haman plotted Mordecai’s death, the king planned to honour Mordecai’s faithful service.

We do not know how it happened but God’s hands are evident – God brought Mordecai to the king’s mind in his bedroom.  An unsuspecting Haman entered the court, where he magnificently tripped over his own ego.  If there was ever a picture of pride before a fall, Haman was it!

His humiliation resulted from a series of apparent coincidences, each believable in itself but completely beyond his control.

When you read the story of Esther, three pairs of feasts mark the beginning, climax and conclusion of her story.  Two banquets were given by king Xerxes in chapter 1, and the people celebrated two consecutive feast days in chapter 9.  In the middle, Esther hosted two banquets for the king and Haman.  And that will be the story for tomorrow.

The obvious lesson is that “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).

But another lesson for me is that God is so powerful that He can work in the ordinary events of billions of lives throughout all time.  He delivered an entire race of people because a woman found herself handpicked to be in a palace, a man refused to bow down to his superior and a king had a sleepless night.

Consider your life right now.  How did you come to meet your spouse?  How did you end up at this job?

Consider how God has directed your everyday steps.

I like these two Bible verses very much and may they serve as reminders for us as we lead our lives….

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,
And He delights in his way.

~ Psalm 37:23

 A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps.

~ Proverbs 16:9